The year of the Siamese continues. I was asked by a Turner woman for help catching and transporting cats to be fixed her elderly father feeds on their property.
Many of them are Siamese! They already got most fixed, one at a time, until one wily female escaped capture and had kittens who grew up.
I set up traps on both their porches with fishlines attached to the doors and run into the house. I tied off one line to a chair and the other, to a towel rack in the laundry room. I put big plates of tuna in the backs of the traps. The fixed cats can go in and out and eat to their hearts content. But when an unfixed one enters, I cut the line. Boom!
Caught seven of the ten known unfixed ones in that manner that were outside. They had the 8 they could handle that aren't fixed, confined inside. So, with 18 reservations and 15 cats already in hand from there, things are looking good. And they are absolutely thrilled to get it done and so easily.
They had no idea you could selectively trap with such ease, from a chair inside! And never catch a skunk (they'd caught two).
Anyhow, they have three very tame Siamese kittens, about ten weeks old. They tried calling CAT Adoption. I told them if they call any shelter seeking to find somewhere to place them so they could be adopted out, let the first words out of her mouth be "healthy Siamese kittens", to try to hook them to at least get a call back.
However, they only got message machines or phone message trees that were complicated and sometimes disconnected her. No luck, in other words.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Freeing Blue. Albany Councilman Makes Shocking Statements in Support!
Click the post title to read the latest story on Blue, the Albany dog, busted out of a lengthy legal battle over his life, by someone. But who?
In the article today, Albany councilman Dick Olsen makes some shocking statements in support of Blue's sudden freedom.
Not shocking if you know Dick Olsen. He's a big time animal lover and is the one who helped get the Albany cat grant approved, along with the mayor, to help fix cats in Albany, through Poppa Inc. funds.
He visited Blue when he was at the dog pound and found him to be very friendly.
So, Olsens' comments come as no surprise to me.
Dick Olsen was the council man who asked for my assistance when Albany took over the MIllersburg homeless camp. Campers were evicted, but left behind scores of cats.
I lived in Corvallis then, in a shack. I had no money, nothing, but it was me he asked to help with the cats at Camp Boondoggle. I faithfully carried 36 cats out of those camps. I had to climb over two trains to get in and two trains to get out, carrying traps or carriers with cats each way.
He went in once with me to help.
It was a very very hot summer, too, and the stench, from bulldozed pit toilets, was, let's see, severe.
Although it was a very difficult endeavor to carry out, mostly alone, I accomlished it. Partly because of that effort, when I ended up in Albany, the grant was approved. He knew I'd give it my all. I always have.
Anyhow, Blue's saga needs to be made into a movie! Or a song at least.
Every month, healthy dogs and puppies are killed at the Linn County dog pound with no notice at all. This has made me wonder about the support for one dog, when so many others die unnoticed and unloved at the pound. And when many many many cats wander the streets of this town, struggling, on their own, and unnoticed.
Somebody out there risked arrest to free one dog.
At least there's that.
Meanwhile, the anti cat letters in the local paper continue....
In the article today, Albany councilman Dick Olsen makes some shocking statements in support of Blue's sudden freedom.
Not shocking if you know Dick Olsen. He's a big time animal lover and is the one who helped get the Albany cat grant approved, along with the mayor, to help fix cats in Albany, through Poppa Inc. funds.
He visited Blue when he was at the dog pound and found him to be very friendly.
So, Olsens' comments come as no surprise to me.
Dick Olsen was the council man who asked for my assistance when Albany took over the MIllersburg homeless camp. Campers were evicted, but left behind scores of cats.
I lived in Corvallis then, in a shack. I had no money, nothing, but it was me he asked to help with the cats at Camp Boondoggle. I faithfully carried 36 cats out of those camps. I had to climb over two trains to get in and two trains to get out, carrying traps or carriers with cats each way.
He went in once with me to help.
It was a very very hot summer, too, and the stench, from bulldozed pit toilets, was, let's see, severe.
Although it was a very difficult endeavor to carry out, mostly alone, I accomlished it. Partly because of that effort, when I ended up in Albany, the grant was approved. He knew I'd give it my all. I always have.
Anyhow, Blue's saga needs to be made into a movie! Or a song at least.
Every month, healthy dogs and puppies are killed at the Linn County dog pound with no notice at all. This has made me wonder about the support for one dog, when so many others die unnoticed and unloved at the pound. And when many many many cats wander the streets of this town, struggling, on their own, and unnoticed.
Somebody out there risked arrest to free one dog.
At least there's that.
Meanwhile, the anti cat letters in the local paper continue....
Monday, October 17, 2011
Grumbly Rumby, Surri and Pebbles Adoption Video
They are getting big. They need homes before they get so old they're losing teeth and half in kidney failure. Spread the word! They're cute, wonderful!
Blue, the dog, held for death by Albany, Busted Out!
Blue's saga has been long here in Albany. He was condemned to death at the local high kill county dog shelter for biting a child who crawled into his pen or crate while he was eating and tried to take his food. The bite was not significant.
Nonetheless, the dog was condemned to death by Albany. However, the owner contested this ruling in court. The back and forths, played out in the paper for at least a year now, have been quite dramatic. A Turner veterinarian offered to take Blue in and train him. The person who has his sibling, in Texas, offered to take him.
He rotted alone at the county shelter for months, visited by city councilmen even. He was finally transferred to the Albany pet hotel and taken on walks which were shown in video on the local paper's website. Blue was really calm, calmer than the Boxer down the street who still comes after me. I now stand my ground and yell at her to go home, which she does. But...that Boxer is far more a threat than Blue. So are many dogs I meet daily.
The council has been urged to just let it go, to let Blue go, save his life, and let Albany go on. But they've been stubborn over it.
Now, Blue's been busted out of the Albany pet hotel. Click the post title to read the article. Some commenters after the story suggest someone busted him out to kill him and put an end to this saga. I doubt it.
I wouldn't put it past some of the control freak assholes in this town though.
I think it's about the coolest thing that's ever happened here that I can remember. I hope Blue is long gone, on his way, by underground railroad, to a great new life somewhere.
Nonetheless, the dog was condemned to death by Albany. However, the owner contested this ruling in court. The back and forths, played out in the paper for at least a year now, have been quite dramatic. A Turner veterinarian offered to take Blue in and train him. The person who has his sibling, in Texas, offered to take him.
He rotted alone at the county shelter for months, visited by city councilmen even. He was finally transferred to the Albany pet hotel and taken on walks which were shown in video on the local paper's website. Blue was really calm, calmer than the Boxer down the street who still comes after me. I now stand my ground and yell at her to go home, which she does. But...that Boxer is far more a threat than Blue. So are many dogs I meet daily.
The council has been urged to just let it go, to let Blue go, save his life, and let Albany go on. But they've been stubborn over it.
Now, Blue's been busted out of the Albany pet hotel. Click the post title to read the article. Some commenters after the story suggest someone busted him out to kill him and put an end to this saga. I doubt it.
I wouldn't put it past some of the control freak assholes in this town though.
I think it's about the coolest thing that's ever happened here that I can remember. I hope Blue is long gone, on his way, by underground railroad, to a great new life somewhere.
Smushed Trap Now Works!
I crunched this trap between my rear tire and the edge of the garage when backing out a couple years back. It was seriously smushed and would not work. However, today, short on traps, I went at fixing it.
First I removed the rod that goes from the trigger plate to the door trip mechanism. It was bent. I then unbent the door trip mechanism so it would work and lubricated it.
Then I flattened out and unscrunched the trigger plate itself. I removed the transfer door, which took a lot of prying and pounding and pounded it out and it's bracket out so it would slide again.
Then I replaced the solid metal trigger rod with picture hanging wire and adjusted it juuuussstt right.
Lastly, I pounds out the metal plate on top of the trap and re attached it.
It's my round the corner trap.
It's the coolest bent up beat up rusted out trap ever!!!!
One in Seven Billion
The human population of earth has now exceeded 7 billion.
That can make you feel lost.
We're crowded on earth.
China is the most populated. However, due to strict family planning, their population should be less than it is today in twenty or thirty years. India's population is on the rise, however, but development is slowing.
China and India both have skewed gender ratios. Both countries families favor boys. In India, baby girls used to be left in the gutter to die. Maybe they still are. In China, where urban couples were limited to one child, often female fetuses would be aborted.
By contrast, many European countries face declining birth rates. Countries like Spain and Italy used to give government stipends to couples for each child born. With recent austerity measures, these stipends have ended. People there don't have children when they see no jobs in the future for them, or feel they will be unable to support them.
France, however, has a slightly rising birth rate. This is credited to family friendly government measures that include payments for child care and to immigration of Africans who have large families.
The US too has a slightly rising birth rate, also partly contributed to immigrants who have large families. The US is the third most populous country in the world, behind China and India.
The UN says the world can perhaps absorb the rising populations, mostly fed by birth rates in Africa and Asia. However in Africa, large families and poverty go hand in hand, as in many places. Women have no say in their lives and are unable to take charge of their reproduction due to male dominated cultures. If this were reversed, the UN advisors believe, so that women have rights and family planning access, hope would be there for the future.
Water, rather than food producing land, is a limiting factor, in feeding the worlds' increasing population.
The most densely populated countries with the highest birth rates usually also harbor the worst poverty.
That can make you feel lost.
We're crowded on earth.
China is the most populated. However, due to strict family planning, their population should be less than it is today in twenty or thirty years. India's population is on the rise, however, but development is slowing.
China and India both have skewed gender ratios. Both countries families favor boys. In India, baby girls used to be left in the gutter to die. Maybe they still are. In China, where urban couples were limited to one child, often female fetuses would be aborted.
By contrast, many European countries face declining birth rates. Countries like Spain and Italy used to give government stipends to couples for each child born. With recent austerity measures, these stipends have ended. People there don't have children when they see no jobs in the future for them, or feel they will be unable to support them.
France, however, has a slightly rising birth rate. This is credited to family friendly government measures that include payments for child care and to immigration of Africans who have large families.
The US too has a slightly rising birth rate, also partly contributed to immigrants who have large families. The US is the third most populous country in the world, behind China and India.
The UN says the world can perhaps absorb the rising populations, mostly fed by birth rates in Africa and Asia. However in Africa, large families and poverty go hand in hand, as in many places. Women have no say in their lives and are unable to take charge of their reproduction due to male dominated cultures. If this were reversed, the UN advisors believe, so that women have rights and family planning access, hope would be there for the future.
Water, rather than food producing land, is a limiting factor, in feeding the worlds' increasing population.
The most densely populated countries with the highest birth rates usually also harbor the worst poverty.
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